On this week’s Democracy that Delivers podcast, Colombian trade advisor Angela Ospina discusses what is involved in making trade policies work. Ospina explains her current work as a trade advisor at the Colombian Mission to the European Union where she focuses on international trade policies, particularly World Customs Organization regulations. She talks about growing up in Bogota, her interest in travel and international relations, and how her experiences studying for her master’s degree in Japan influenced her approach to trade policy and its implementation.

Ospina discusses the significance of a peace agreement in Colombia and her optimism regarding the economic future of her country. She also talks about how seemingly technical trade issues play out in people’s daily lives. The hardest part of her job? Not the policymaking itself but ensuring that policies will work in practice.

CIPE has long supported the belief that entrepreneurs and private enterprise drive gains in productivity and innovation and are thus crucial to building prosperous societies that deliver opportunity to all. As such, CIPE has devoted significant attention to the development of the next generation of entrepreneurs by supporting business education programs in countries around the globe. Through programs like Tashabos in Afghanistan, Riyadeh in Syria and Turkey, and EmprendeAhora in Peru, tens of thousands of young people interested in starting their own businesses have gained the skills necessary to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

By 11am on Sunday, February 12, the sun was already beating down strongly on the many Venezuelan citizens waiting in line to vote. Despite the nearly unbearable heat, nobody was complaining. In fact, the exuberance of the people waiting for three, four, or five hours in line to vote for their candidate in the Democratic Unity Table presidential primary election was contagious. Nothing like this had happened any time recently in Venezuela history and the excitement in the air was palpable.

As an election observer invited by the party — here it’s referred to as the Mesa de Unidad Democrática (MUD) — I was lucky enough to experience what many hope will be an historic day for this country. The government of President Hugo Chávez had mounted a disinformation campaign that asked people not to vote in the opposition primary election organized by the MUD and forbade government workers and members of the Chavez political party PSUV from voting. The government told people that no more than 800,000 people would vote and the results would be insignificant. Even MUD supporters were fearful about low voter turnout given the risks many people might have to take in order to go to the polls. Government workers feared for their jobs, contractors thought they would lose their government contracts and business people worried that they would be persecuted by government authorities. Their most optimistic projections were that two million people would come out to the polls.

What happened that day was a remarkable exercise of the democratic process. People lost their fear and came out in droves. Young people mixed with octeganarians at polls I visited. Even some government workers decided that they preferred to honor their democratic rights rather than remain intimidated. The government here frowns on international electoral observers, but when we were introduced in the polling station both the staff and the voters broke out in applause. Even the military personnel who guarded the polls seem to get caught up in the optimism of the moment.

Other than the long lines the election process went very smoothly. In past elections, machines were used that did not provide paper receipts so verification of the results was impossible. New machines were present at this election that allowed each participant to check his or her vote before depositing it in the ballot box. Despite widespread fear that it would happen, no government intimidation happened at the polls I visited.

Last night at 9pm, the results were announced by the MUD — more than three million voters overcame their fears and voted. The winner with 1.8 million votes was Henrique Capriles Radonski, who has promised a government of unity for all Venezuelans. He invited all the candidates he ran against to join him on the stage to demonstrate the unity that exists within the MUD. It is expected that some of them will join his government should he win the election. Now, the challenging work for the MUD will begin: to build a winning campaign that might unseat Hugo Chavez, with his willingness to employ all the powers of the state to stay in office. But for this day, the Venezuelan people enjoyed a breath of fresh air and the promise of a new dialogue on where the country is headed.

Support for democracy has risen in Latin America, according to a new poll from Latinobarómetro. In Peru, for example, support for democracy has peaked at 61 percent, after a low of 40 percent in 2005. In Uruguay, nearly 80 percent of respondents are satisfied with the way democracy works in their country. And in Venezuela, 84 percent believe that democracy is preferable to any other form of government.

Equally promising (but not surprising) is the corresponding rise in support for free market institutions.

Who could not be amazed by the week’s news footage of 33 miners being rescued from a collapsed Chilean mine after being trapped for 70 days 700 meters below the earth’s surface? The Chilean rescue mission was an amazing feat of technology and organized planning—especially given that country earlier this year suffered a crippling earthquake, one of the largest in its history. The event has focused renewed attention of the powerhouse that Chile has become in the region. Its president, Sebastián Piñera, already one of the country’s richest and most successful businessmen, now enjoys success as a humanist who went to great lengths to save the 33 trapped miners. But President Piñera was not the only person making headlines because of the rescue.

Chile has been one of the most developed countries in Latin America for the last 25 years, with a dynamic free market economy. As a role model for economic reform, Chile has seen strong growth rates coupled with sound monetary policies to limit the deficit and balance the national budget. The Global Competitiveness Report for 2009-2010 ranks Chile as the 30th most competitive country in the world and the most competitive in Latin America. While these economic characteristics help Chile stand out among its neighbors, they’ve also contributed greatly to sustaining what really separates Chile from its neighbors – democratic governance.